When the Smoke and Dust Settles
by Dragon Elexus
Summary: The Battle for Bright Moon is over, but there is still much more to be done. Soldiers to be saved, wounded to tend to, wreckage to clear... With so much resting on her shoulders, She-Ra can't be expected to stop for anything. Certainly not sleeping, eating, or some minor wounds. Adora, though? That's a different matter entirely.
1. Chapter 1

**When the Smoke and Dust Settles**

Adora had been taught many things about battle in the Horde.

She'd been trained in combat with ten different weapons, including her own fists. She'd learned tactics, from the importance of high ground to cutting off enemy supply lines. She'd studied the values of different terrains, when to press on, and when to retreat.

They hadn't told her about the smell of blood.

The smell of blood, or oil in the water, or the thick dust thrown up from the lasers and bombs.

There were other smells on the battlefield, of course, most prominent of those being magic. Or magic _s_? Each princess had brought their own, and while the rainbow wave had faded, the tingle of power still blanketed the battlefield, thick and heady. The windswept saltiness of the ocean, the sweet buzzing power of Brightmoon, the metallic cold of ice, and even She-Ra's own power, which Adora could only describe as the taste of the midday sun, hot and fierce and glorious.

But that was almost worse, somehow. Because she'd just be walking around, paying no mind to the scents of flower blossoms and fresh frost, when something bitter and coppery would rise up. And she'd spy a soldier, gurgling on their own blood, and Adora would have to fight back the bite of bile.

No. No. The Horde had certainly never taught her about any of this.

Adora helped as much as she could. She dragged people (or bodies, sometimes) out of the water or the wreckage of tanks. As She-Ra, she could get in and out of situations most others couldn't, sometimes carrying up to three people at once.

She rescued Bright Moon and Horde soldiers alike. So did Etherians, that said; Adora didn't want to hold that against them. They weren't leaving people to die where it could be helped. But they had only so many hands, only so much time, and when given the option, they'd save a loyal Etherian soldier over a Horde prisoner they'd need to house and feed. Both sides were capable of doing the cold calculation of war.

But the Horde... Adora was still connected to them, she couldn't deny. And she didn't want them to die needlessly. Maybe they could learn to be better. To help people.

After the injured and the dead were recovered, Adora was less useful, but she could still do something. The Horde never would have let any trainee out of basic if they weren't capable of bandaging or stitching a wound, or applying any other emergency first aid. She let the actual healers and doctors do the heavy lifting, followed what they told her, and acted as an extra pair of hands where needed.

(More than once, she stared down at the sword, and nearly attempted to heal again… but the last thing anyone needed was her shooting some poor injured soldier with a laser.)

She worked. She worked, and worked, and worked, striving to save as many lives as she could.

Distantly, someone behind her said, "You're hurt." She didn't pay it any mind. Of course someone was hurt, they were in the healing tent, she didn't need to be distracted by such obvious statements.

"Adora," someone said again, and it was Bow, his hand on her shoulder, "you're _hurt_."

"I'm not," said Adora, distracted, barely looking up from the bandage she was soaking in warm water.

"Then what do you call these gashes in your back?" Bow argued.

"Scratches."

"They look pretty bad-"

"They were bad, then they were healed by the magic wave," said Adora, "and seriously, it's fine-"

A few people glanced her way. Adora had to bite back a groan; these people didn't need to see their legendary hero She-Ra in a petty squabble over whether or not she was hurt.

"They still look red," said Bow. "Just let me bandage them."

Adora shrugged Bow's hand off (the movement hurt, yes, but she had felt worse, and stretchers full of soldiers were in far greater pain). She looked her friend dead in the eye. "I'm handling it."

Bow opened his mouth, closed it, and backed down.

Adora returned to her bandages.

Barely a moment later, she caught the tell-tale flicker of Glimmer's teleportation out of the corner of her eye. "How are things going?" Glimmer asked. It wasn't her more usual flippant tone, but her determined leadership voice.

Immediately, one of the head nurses was at Glimmer's side, giving a full report. How many resources had been used, how long their current resources were expected to last, the number of injured, the number of dead...

… that last number is higher than it had been earlier.

With a grim nod, Commander Glimmer flickered away. Adora began passing her soaked bandages out. Bow helped, still watching her, still worrying.

Glimer reappeared with a pop. "Anything else?"

"Adora's hurt," said Bow immediately.

She glared at him.

"What!?" Glimmer exclaimed.

And so it started all over again. It was like a buzzing white noise, with Adora constantly grinding out the same response: I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine...

Glimmer at least seemed to be on her side. She understood what Adora was doing. What _She-Ra_ was doing. A commander could not appear weak. Everyone else relied on her to protect them, to guide the way. To be strong.

And sure, maybe her back did hurt. Maybe her scratches burned as she moved. Maybe the muscles in her arms and thighs ached. Maybe her feet were sore from days and days of dancing and running and hiking and fighting. Maybe her head was throbbing and her vision was blurry.

Didn't matter.

She was a trained soldier. She was She-Ra. She could handle it.

She was emptying the bucket and beginning to fill it with fresh water, when she stumbled and half-dropped it. Water splashed all over her feet. Adora blinked at it for a second. Then, muttering under her breath, Adora forced her hands to stop shaking. She got back to work.

Bow and Glimmer's discussion had become a full-out argument. People were looking. Some were muttering. It was the last thing she needed.

"Will you two _quit it_ ," she hissed.

Glimmer looks her over. "Yeah, no, Bow was right. You look awful."

"Who cares about how I _look_?"

"We do!" said Bow and Glimmer, in unison.

Adora glared. "Okay, so what! Looks don't matter! So- " she pushed them aside, "Get out of my way!"

A voice cut through the air. "She-Ra," Queen Angella said, "a word?"

With years of training to always obey superiors' orders pressing down on Adora, she nodded, saying, "Of course."

She was led outside the tent, her friends trailing after her. Bow had a hand on her shoulder. Steadying her, she realised, with a wave of embarrassment. Outside, the queen pressed a mug into Adora's hand. Well, She-Ra's hand. The mug looked especially tiny there.

"It will ease pain and induce sleep," Queen Angella said.

The answers ' _I'm not in pain_ ' and _'I don't need sleep'_ competed, and some senseless mish-mash came out of Adora's mouth. "Idunneed pain-ersleep."

The Queen raised her eyebrows. She ordered, "Drink."

Head drooping, Adora nodded. There was a flash of light. By the time the mug reached Adora's lips, the hand holding it was normal sized. Back in her mortal body, all the pains and aches suddenly seemed much more pressing.

Next thing she knew, she was in her room. She was pretty sure she didn't lose consciousness for that. Glimmer had just teleported her.

Nonetheless, whatever was in the tea must have been fast acting. Her body already felt fuzzy and distant. Glimmer helped her into sleeping clothes. Helped her into bed. Tucked her in.

Adora wanted to say something to her. To Bow too. But he wasn't there? And then she had forgotten what she wanted to say, and as she struggled to recall it, the words slipped further away, the blackness encroaching… And then she was asleep.

oOoOo

 **Author's Note:** don't entirely know what this is. just a sort of.. vent of my desire to scoop these children up and help them, with a huge side-serving of Angella Thoughts and Theories. Hope you enjoy. Part 2 coming soon :)

Thanks to Airam for being my awesome editor and wrangling my horrible tenses.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was dark. It was warm. Adora couldn't move. She didn't want to.

She heard voices.

"Glimmer, I grabbed us dinner!"

"Mm. Thanks, Bow."

"It's your favourite."

"Yeah, well, they basically always have my favourite made in the kitchen, so…"

Silence.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to- Sorry. Thank you."

"It's alright. I get it."

The sound of chewing, the clank of cutlery. The warm smell of food nearly stirred Adora, but wasn't quite strong enough.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I feel… better than before I was kidnapped, actually. Stronger."

"That's good. But I mean… you know…"

"... Right. Yeah. Fine, I guess? I mean, Bright Moon is saved, the Princess Alliance back together, but…"

"... it was close. Too close."

"Yeah. But we did it. And we'll do it again."

"Yeah. We will."

More eating noises.

"Thanks, Bow."

"Hey? What's a best friend for, if not to bring you dinner?"

Glimmer laughed, and Adora drifted off again with the sound echoing in her mind.

* * *

"- and _don't_ tell me I can't go, Mom!"

The words were sharp, loud, and almost snapped Adora back into full wakefulness. She wanted to reach out, to be at her friend's side, but sleep wouldn't fully let her go.

"I wasn't going to." Queen Angela's voice was light.

"... Oh. You're- not?"

"I was not planning to. You are a commander, Glimmer. That means that you are fit to organise your own schedule, without micromanagement from your liege."

"Well- yeah- it's just. Even thought I was… still glitching a day ago?"

"If you feel you are necessary to this mission, yes."

"And even though you were all freaking out about my kidnapping?"

"As queen, I cannot allow myself to put my own personal feelings before the needs of the kingdom."

"And even though we won't have She-Ra to pro-"

"Glimmer. Truly. I am not going to talk you out of this."

"... oh. Well. That's appreciated, Mo- Queen Angella."

"Of course, Commander Glimmer."

"... but I might have talked myself out of it."

"Well. Knowing when to step aside is a sign of good leadership, as well."

There was a 'pop', and a rustle of fabric against fabric. A hug. Adora stopped struggling to wake up. Glimmer was alright. Again, she slept.

* * *

The next time Adora was woken up, she had to lie there for several long moments to register what it was that did so. The sound was simply the quiet scratch of a quill on parchment, so soft as to be nearly unnoticeable.

But nonetheless, she was up. Clearly, her body felt she had been out of commission too long.

She took stock of her physical condition before moving, then cracked open her eye to see who was there.

It was Queen Angella of Bright Moon.

Adora stiffened. In the Fright Zone, it had never been a good thing to wake up and find your supervisor waiting. Shadow Weaver was a busy woman who did not have time to dwell on poor performers, as she had so often reminded her charges. Her presence after an injury would almost always be to exact punishment, either physical or verbal. At best, it would be to give a new assignment, effective immediately.

But there was no avoiding it. Slowly, Adora eased herself up.

(Her back ached, she noted, feeling the bandages shift at her movement. But far, far less than before).

"Ah," said the Queen, pausing in her writing. "You're awake."

"H-" Adora croaked, coughed, and cleared out her throat. "How long was I..?"

"Nearly fourteen hours, I believe."

" _Fourteen hours?!_ "

The Queen smiled softly. "You needed your rest."

No admonishment. No punishment. No order to get out of bed.

Instead, she continued, "Would you like some tea?" When Adora eyed the proffered teapot warily, Queen Angella said, "This type won't put you to sleep, I promise."

The Queen brought tea over in a delicately crafted mug, along with a plate covered in a selection of fruits, cheeses, and breads. The tea tasted of ginger and apple. The foods were all sweet, but not so rich as to disrupt Adora's empty stomach. Everything was delicious, just as all of Bright Moon's meals were.

As Adora sipped her tea, she regarded the Queen.

The Queen regarded her back.

She was watching Adora with an expression of… what? Adora couldn't quite place it, and that unnerved her.

"You're recovering well," the Queen said at last, and Adora's grateful she broke the silence. "Bow did your initial bandages, but I had a healer apply some healing salve and change them once since. You may be left with some light scarring, but otherwise, you should be fully recovered in a few days."

Adora nodded. "Where are they?" She didn't need to specify who she meant.

"Bow is out on a mission with Princess Perfuma, Netossa, and Swift Wing. They're surveying the damage to the Whispering Woods, and determining what can be done to assist its recovery. Glimmer is discussing repairs to Bright Moon castle itself."

Busy, both of them, while Adora laid in bed.

Adora chewed some cheese. Finally, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"My private office sustained some damage during the battle. I needed somewhere else to work in the time being, and someone needed to watch over you in the interim. It seemed a reasonable solution."

As if the Queen couldn't have worked in any of the hundred or so beautifully furnished rooms throughout the palace. As if she couldn't have set any guard to watch over She-Ra as she recovered.

Adora didn't voice any of this aloud. She continued to eat, silencing her complaining stomach. The Queen returned to her writing. Adora flexed a few of her muscles, testing, taking stock- but kept glancing back to the immortal leader of Etheria.

 _What are you really thinking?_ she wondered.

She must have said it aloud, because the Queen looked up, brow creasing.

Blushing hot, Adora straightened her back, anticipating admonishment. The Queen sighed, and that expression was back. What was it?

… Concern?

"I was thinking that you are very young," the Queen said.

With a wave of indignation, Adora sat even straighter, crossing her arms. "With all due respect, ma'am, I am not. While it is not something I'm proud about, I was going to be made a Force Captain in the Horde-"

"Adora," the Queen said, raising her hand. "I didn't mean to insinuate you aren't capable. You clearly are. I simply meant…" She trailed off. Adora didn't say anything; simply waited for the monarch to collect herself. "Things used to be different. Before the war."

Without conscious thought, Adora leaned forward. Before the War… such a thing felt so distant, nearly impossible to imagine.

"We had our own problems back then, of course we did, but… They were more manageable, or it seems so, now. People your age- they were children. They had space to grow. They weren't nearly dying in battles every other day. But the Horde has taken that, from us and from its own people alike."

Adora frowned. "I… see."

She didn't, not really. Based on what she'd seen in person, and what Bow and Glimmer had told her about their childhoods, the citizens of Etheria already had that. Long, lazy days filled with cute animals and games and fine food and parties. Her friends had trained and studied, learning everything from combat to politics, but all of it seemed much more relaxed than even the earliest of Adora's training regimes.

The Queen sighed. "I'm sorry."

"... For?"

"We've failed you. It's our fault you've experienced such hardships."

"I'm… pretty sure it's not," said Adora, and for a moment, her bright, spacious quarters felt as though it was filling with shadows.

"It is. If we had made different choices, managed to end this war sooner… you and your peers wouldn't be suffering so."

"Uh…" said Adora, at a loss for words. The discomforts of her body- from her aching back to her still very-full bladder - became much harder to ignore. "It's alright?"

The Queen sighed again, long and very tired.

There was a knock at the door. It was a guard, who upon being called inside, announced, "Queen Angella, a matter has arisen which requires your immediate attention."

Adora tried not to let her relief show.

"Of course." Rolling her parchment up, the Queen rose from her chair. "It was about time I gave Adora some privacy, regardless. However, would you please send a healer to tend to her soon?"

"Of course," said the guard. Adora smiled awkwardly at them.

The Queen looked back at her once more. Again, there was that expression on her face, something more than the distant professionalism with which she had regarded her since She-Ra had first manifested in the Bright Moon throne room. "Look after yourself, Adora."

Adora nodded.

The Queen left, the guard with her. Alone at last, Adora stretched. She relieved herself, cleaned her aching body, inspected her wounds, put on a fresh set of clothes, and tried not to think about the odd conversation she had just had.

And then, with a pop, Glimmer was there, hugging Adora all over, even as she was mindful of the bruises. Soon after Bow joined her, still sweaty from his mission, with frozen leaves stuck to his hair, but smiling at the sight of her.

Immediately, the two began fussing all over her, tutting at what remained at her wounds and admonishing her for pretending like everything had been okay. None of it felt like an insult, like it had before. With a clearer head, it felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders, like a warm hug enveloping her.

In the Fright Zone, Adora had been taught that a good soldier took care of themself. But sitting on her bed, laughing at a comment Glimmer made while Bow brushed her bed hair... It reminded her that she was more than a soldier. That she took care of herself for her own sake, too.

That thought lead her to another one, ugly and painful. Her old squad. Lonnie. Rogellio. Kyle.

Catra.

They weren't just soldiers, either. They hadn't chosen their side.

Well. Most of them hadn't.

"Adora?" asked Bow, pausing in his combing as he felt her tense.

"You alright?" added Glimmer.

"Don't worry," said Adora, forcing the thought down and a smile onto her face. "I'm fine."


End file.
